Device for limiting the movements of thread guide bars



w. HEINITZ 2,062,223

DEVICE FOR LIMiTING THE MOVEMENTS- OF THREAD GUIDE BARS Nov. 24; 1936.

Filed Nov. 21, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l [kl 6w 60/: WULDEMA R H El NITZ 51/b Maw ATTORNEV W. HElNlTZ Nov. 24, 1936.

DEVICE FOR LIMITING THHMOVEMENTS OF THREAD GUIDE BARS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Filed NOV. 21, 1935 WOLDEMAR HEINI-TZ By a W ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 24,1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DEVICE FOR LTMITING THE MOVEMENTS 0FTHREAD GUIDE BARS Application November 21, 1935, Serial No. 50,943

In Germany November 23, 1934 3 Claims. (01. 66-126) The presentinvention relates to flat knitting machines adapted to produce'platedwork and is more particularly concerned with a device for limiting themovements of the thread guide bars.

The devices for limiting the movements of thread guide bars knownhitherto are constructed as locking devices, operating on the threadguide bars at the end of their movement, a

that is to say, they are formed as recoil preventing means, acting atthe moment the thread guide bars reach the end position. In constructinglocking devices of this kind great care must be taken to obtain highestprecision, but even then the known locking devices are not absolutelyreliable, if high speed platings are carried out, as the locking actionis efiected only in the very last moment the thread guide bar strikesthe stop, 1. e. in the moment of recoil of said bar.

Compared with all known locking devices of this character, the deviceaccording to the present invention has the great advantage, that, withalways uniform distance between the thread. guides, exact limitation of.the movement of the thread guide baris obtained under all circumstanceswith the simplest possible means which simultaneously prevent recoil ofthe bar.

To obtain this object, locking members, moved in the same direction asthe thread guide bars, strike, in the same direction of movement,against lever arms carried by shafts upon which locking arms are mountedadapted to engage behind projections fixed upon the thread guide bars.

These locking members, sliding beneath the lever arms, take up therecoil of the thread guide bars in' the moment the recoil can not longerhave any effect upon the thread guide bar.

According to the present invention, a locking member is used for each ofthe thread guide bars, that is to say, for each of ,the ground threadguide and the plating thread guides a particular locking member isprovided. The locking members are arranged in staggered relation toeach.

same manner.' Connected to the devicesfor lim-' itinmthe movements ofthe thread guide bars guides. The block 2 carries the locking membersare cam'members efiecting the connection and disconnection of thebrakes. The position of these cam members also is altered with theadjustment of the devices for limiting the movements of the thread guidebars. 5

' In the accompanying drawings one embodiment of the invention is shownby way of example.

In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the device according'to the invention,showing as much of the knitting machine only as is necessary tounderstand the operation of the new device,

Fig. 2 shows a broken away side elevation and Figs.'3-8 are detailviews, showing the individual parts of the,device in different workingpositions.

For explaining the construction and operation of the device according tothe invention a flat knitting machine, having two thread guide bars,

is chosen in the middle part.of which the devices for limiting themovements of the thread guide bars in both directionsof travel arearranged. Of course, if the thread guide bars would strike against stopsprovided at the ends of the machine, the devices for limiting themovements of said bars and therefore the locking devices would bearranged at both ends of the machine. The devices for limiting themovements of the thread guide bars are, by way of example, shown inconnection with plating thread guides. It is, however, understood thatthe invention may also be used for limiting the movementsof other threadguides.

Mounted upon a bar I, journalled in the frame of the knitting machine,not shown in the drawings, and kinematically connected to the slur bar,also not shown, are two blocks 2'and 2', one for each direction ofmovement of the thread 40 3. 4-cooperating with -the device for limitingthey movements of the thread guide bars 5, 6 in onedirection of theirtravel and theblock 2' carries the two locking members 3', 4'cooperating with the device for limiting the movements of the two threadguide bars 5, 6, in the other direction of their travel. The portions I,8'and I, 8' respectively of the locking members 3, 4 and 3, 4'respectively which in the operative direction are 0 arranged in frontare higher than the rear portions 9, III and 9', II! respectively andare connected with the portions I, 8 and I, 8' respectively by inclinedsurfaces II, I2 and II', I2 respectively. A number of locking membersequal 55 to the number of thread guide bars to be locked is alwaysprovided.

Shiftably arranged upon a supporting bar I3 fixed in the frame of themachine are the devices I4 and I4 for limiting. the movements of thethread guide bars 5, 6 and a spindle I5 having right-hand and left-handthreadsserves to adjust the devices I4 and I4 which for this purpose areprovided with corresponding female threads. 6

As all parts are provided in the same arrangement and operate in thesame manner for both directions of movement, the elements shown at theright hand portion of Fig. 1 only are described below, the correspondingelements shown at the left hand portion of Fig. 1 being designated withthe same reference numbers provided with an face 8 of the latter.

index.

The device I4 for limiting the movements of the thread guide bars 5 and8 in one direction carries bearings iii in which a hollow shaft I I isjournalled with slight friction. Fixed upon one end of the hollow shaftI1 is a lever I8 carrying a roller I9 which lies in the path of thelocking member 3 and is adapted to slide upon the upper surface I of thelatter. At the other end of the hollow shaft II, a locking arm 28 isadjustably fixed by means of a screw 2i. locking arm 28 is adapted toengage behind a projection 22 fixed upon the thread guide bar 5.

A shaft 23 journalled with slight friction in the hollow shaft 'I'Iextends at both ends beyond the hollow shaft I'I. Fixed upon one end ofthe shaft 23 is a lever arm 24 carrying a roller 25. The roller 25 liesin the path of the locking member 4 and is adapted to slide upon theupper sur- Upon the other end of the shaft 23 a locking arm 26 isadjustably fixed by means of a screw 21. The locking arm 26 is adaptedto. engage behind a projection 28 fixed upon the thread guide bar 6.Linked to the lever arm I8 is a pawl 29 which lies in the path of a stop38 fixed to the block 2 carrying the locking members 3, 4. The pawl 29is adapted to bear against a projection 3I provided at the free end ofthe lever arm I8 and serving as a stop. A finger 32 at the device I4serves to limit the movement of the thread guide bars 5, 6, and againstthis finger 32 the projections 22 and 28 fixed upon the bars 5 and 5respectively are adapted to strike.

Fixed to the device I4 for limiting the movements of the thread guidebars 5,5 is a bar 33 the bent arm 34 of which is connected to a cammember 35guided in a slot 35 of a bar 31. The bar 31 is arranged betweenthe thread guide bars 5, 5 and the brake bar 38. By 'means of the cammember 35 the arm 39 connecting the thread guide bar 5 to the brakemechanism, and by means of the cam member 35', the arm 39', connectingthe thread guide bar 5 to the brake mechanism, may be lifted. 4

If the thread guide bars 5, 5 and the bar I move in the direction of thearrow :r (Figs. 1 and 3), the projection or stop strikes, at the end ofthe travel, against the pawl 29 mounted on the lever arm I8. As the pawl29, bearing against the projection or stop 3|, is prevented from givingway, striking of the stop or projection 38 against the pawl 29 resultsin swinging the lever arms I8 and 24 into the range of the lockingmembers 3, 4. Upon further movement of the bar I, the lever arms I8 and24 are turned by the locking members 3 and 4 and thereby the shafts I1and 23, carrying said lever arms I8 and 24 The the upper surfaces I and8 of the locking members 3 and 4 respectively, whereby the thread guidebars 5 and 5 are locked by means of the locking arms 28, 26, therebypreventing any recoil (Fig. 5).

At the end of the movement of the slur bar to which the locking members3, 4 are kinematically connected the pawl 29 has been moved out of therange of the stop 30 and drops downwardly (Fig. 6).

During this event of movement, the arm 39 of the brake mechanism isdisconnected by the cam member in the moment in which the lockingmembers 3, 4 come into the range of the lever arms I8, 24.

After reversal of the direction of the movement of the locking members3, 4 the arm 39 of the brake mechanism is engaged again, so that thethread guide bar 5 may be shifted in the reverse direction. During themovement of the thread guide bars 5, 5 in the direction of the arrow 11(Fig. 6), the stops 22, 28, fixed to said bars, effect rising of thelocking arms 20, 26, whereby the shafts I1, 23 are turned, so that thelever arms I8, 24, fixed to the shafts I1, 23 respectively, are movedinto the position shown in dashand dotted lines in Fig. 6. The leverarms-I8 and 24 running upon the inclined surfaces II and I2respectively, are moved again into their position of exit, shown in Fig."I, in which they remain by a corresponding braking effect exerted upontheir shafts IT and 23 respectively. As soon as the pawl 29 comes intothe range of the stop 38 it is, as shown in Fig. 8, swung and then dropsback into its vertical position. The individual parts now occupy againthe position shown in Fig. 3 and the cycle of operation is repeated assoon as the bar I is moved again in the direction of the arrow 2: (Fig.1).

Asthe cam members 35 and 35', disengaging the arms 39 and 39'respectively from the brake mechanism, are, by means of the bars 33 and33" and the arms 34 and 34", kinematically connected to the devices I4and I4 respectively for limiting the movements of the thread guide bars5 and 6, adjustment of the devices 14, I4 automatically effects acorresponding adjustment of the cam members 35 and 35.

What I claim is:

1. A device for limiting the movement of thread guide bars in flatknitting machines comprising a plurality of blocks adjustably mounted ona supporting bar and each provided with' a projection extending into thepath of travel of said thread guide bars, shafts mounted upon saidblocks, locking arms adjustably connected to said shafts and adapted tocooperate with stops on said thread guide bars, lever arms fixed to saidshafts, a roller carried by each of said lever arms, a slidably arrangedbar moved in accordance with said thread guide bars, locking meanscarried by said slidably arranged bar and cooperating with said leverarms for moving said locking arms into and out of engagement with saidstops on said thread guide bars, the arrangement being such that saidlocking arms, by their engagement with said stops on said thread guidebars, prevent recoil of the latter bars.

2. A device for limiting the movements of thread guide bars in flatknitting machines comprising a plurality of blocks adjustably mounted ona supporting bar and each provided with a projection extending into thepath of travel of said thread guide bars, bearings provided at the uppersurface of each of said blocks, a hollow shaft frictionally journalledin said bearings 01 each of said blocks, a locking arm adjustablyconnected to one end of each ofsaid hollow shafts and adapted tocooperate with a stop attached to one of said thread guide bars, a leverarm fixed operative portion arranged at lower level, provided in theoperative direction of movement behind said elevated operative portion,an inclined operative, portion connecting said two operative portionsarranged behind eacliother, each of said operative portions beingadapted to cooperate with the con-esponding'roller, a pawl linked toeach of said lever arms, a projection,

for limiting the movement of said pawl, at-

tached to each of said lever arms, a stop carried by each locking meansarranged in the path of said pawl, a solid shaft frictionally carried byeach of said hollow shafts, both ends of each of said solid shaftsprojecting beyond the ends of each of the hollow shafts, a locking armadjustably connected to one end of each of said solid shafts and adaptedto cooperate with a stop attached to one of said thread guide bars, alever arm fixed to the other end of each of said solid shafts, a rollercarried by each of said lever arms on said solid shaft, a second set oflocking members carried by said slidable bar, an elevated operativeportion and an operative portion at a lower level provided in the ordermentioned one behind the other in the direction of active movement, andan inclined operative portion connecting said two operative portions oneach of said second set of locking members, each of said operativeportions of said second set of locking members being adapted tocooperate with the corresponding of said rollers-on said. lever armsfixed to said solid shafts.

3. A device as set forth in claim 2 in which cam members adapted todisconnect a braking mechanism from said threadguide bars are connectedto bent bars fixed to said devices for limitin: the movements of saidthread guide bars.

WOLDEILAR HEINI'IZ. 80

